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ASHEVILLE – Mark Lewis recalled the time he heard multiple gunshots in his West Asheville neighborhood.

He called 911, and so did other neighbors. He never heard from police about the result of the investigation.

Lewis and his neighbors were left wondering: Was someone on the run? Was someone shot? Were they really gunshots?

"I would've appreciated some acknowledgment the incident was addressed," he said

Lewis was one of about 15 residents who attended a community meeting Thursday evening about the Asheville Police Department's Strategic Operations Plan, a three-year blueprint intended to help the department improve its service. The process to build the plan began in September 2013 and includes input from police personnel and community members.

Asheville Police Chief William Anderson spoke about key issues, including recruitment and retention of officers, leadership, organizational structure, technology and communication and outreach to the community.

Anderson said the plan is intended to give structure for the department but will be flexible based on the needs and input of the community.

"We're going to look at the Asheville Police Department from bottom to top," Anderson said.

Thursday's meeting was the first in a series. The plan will be presented to City Council on Tuesday and is available online.

"We want this to be a new day when it comes to the Asheville Police Department," Anderson said. He also spoke about reaching out to residents to hear their perception of crime because it differs from community to community.

The attendees Thursday separated into two groups and told city staff about experiences with Asheville police that they were pleased with and experiences that they thought could have been better.

Improved communication was a recurring theme in the two groups, whether it involved disseminating information via social media or to neighborhood watch groups. Others wanted to see more personal interactions between officers and community members.

Anderson talked about sharing information, whether it's good or bad, and emphasized that the department does very well overall.

"We have to do a better job of selling ourselves," he said.

The residents did note positives, including presentations the department does in high schools about distracted and impaired driving and interactions with community resource officers. A downtown resident also commended the police department on how well it patrols the Central Business District.